Ohio man gets his dying wish - a pirogi

CLEVELAND (AP) — A former Ohio man’s dying wish was to have pirogi for his last meal — so a suburban Cleveland bakery famous for the ethnic delicacy made it happen.

Jess Hays, who lived in New Mexico, wanted the last solid food he ate to be the dumplings from Perla Homemade Delights in Parma. The family that owns the business heard about it and shipped them at their own expense.

The Plain Dealer newspaper reports that Hays died Monday in Deming, N.M., at age 62, according to his wife. He had battled pancreatic cancer for 18 months.

The couple moved there seven years ago from Akron after both retired from the University of Akron.

People moved by the gesture have flocked to the bakery since the story came out last week.